Application submitted

Understanding your application status

After you have completed the online admissions application including payment, your record will show the current status of your application.

You’re responsible for monitoring the status of your application. It’s critical to regularly check the status of supporting documents ("Received" or "Pending") and take action when necessary.

Documents Pending
As soon as you have paid the application fee, the status of your application becomes "Documents Pending." You can now begin uploading supporting documents, and your referees can upload their reference letters.

"Documents Pending" means your application is not yet complete and at least one supporting document is missing.

Supporting documents you upload directly will show as “Received” once the upload is successfully completed:

A letter of reference shows as “Received” once your referee has successfully completed submission.

Paper official transcripts submitted by you are managed by the Office of the Registrar and Student Services, including updating the online admissions application to show as "Received." It's a very high volume, so this work takes time. All documents are date-stamped upon arrival and you will not be penalized because of processing time.

Documents ReceivedWhen all required supporting documents have been received the status of your application changes from "Documents Pending" to "Documents Received."

Under Review
This status is confirmation that your application will be considered by a Department Admissions Committee.

Decision Made
Your record shows as "Decision Made" when the final official results of your application are available to you via the online admissions application (e.g., "Offer of Admission," "Notification of Waitlist Status," "Notification of Refusal").

Evaluation process

Your application is first processed in the Office of the Registrar and Student Services. This includes managing supporting documents and updating your online admissions application record.

An academic assessment of your post-secondary credentials is done by expert staff. Evaluation involves verifying accreditation of an academic institution, considering appropriate University of Toronto degree equivalency, and calculating academic standing. The determination of whether your application is standard or non-standard admission is made at this step (if minimum academic requirements are not met, admission is non-standard).

Your application is then reviewed by a Department Admissions Committee comprised primarily of OISE faculty. All aspects of your application are thoroughly considered, including the academic assessment, your résumé, statement of intent, and letters of reference. Specific methods of each committee vary.

The Department Admissions Committee makes a recommendation on admission to the Office of the Registrar and Student Services. Recommendations are reviewed and correspondence to applicants is prepared. Time the evaluation process takes can fluctuate for a number of reasons. We understand the importance of notifying you of results as soon as possible.

Frequently asked questions

Notification of results

You will be provided with official written notification of results for each of your program selections, typically "Offer of Admission," "Notification of Waitlist Status," "Notification of Refusal."The official results are final.

Official results come from the Office of the Registrar and Student Services. Decisions you receive from a department are not official. We try to ensure all results are available at the same time, but sometimes separate letters at different times can't be avoided.

When applicable, information regarding the OISE Graduate Funding Package is included with an offer of admission.

Students cannot undertake more than one program in the same session. If you receive more than one offer of admission, you must tell us which program you wish to pursue.

Notification of results, such as an Offer of Admission, are provided to applicants via the online admissions application. We start uploading letters in early March and continue into March, April, and sometimes later months. If you submit a complete application by November 15, you should receive a decision sometime in March. If you submit an application after November 15, decisions are available within three to six weeks of application submission, but no sooner than early March.